Locking mechanism for ring display device



Sept. 7, 1965 N. A. BARBIERI 3,204,774

LOCKING MECHANISM FOR RING' DISPLAY DEVICE Filed April 8, 1964 Il I INVENTOR NICHOLAS A. BARBIERI ATTORN EYS United States Patent O 3,204,774 LQCKING MECHANISM FOR RING DISPLAY DEVICE Nicholas A. Barbieri, Providence, RJ., assignor to Uncas Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Rhode Island Filed Apr. 8, 1964, Ser. No. 358,205 1 Claim. (Cl. 211-4) This invention relates to a display device for finger rings of the type in which one or a large number of rings may be displayed at one time.

In display devices where a large number of rings may be displayed, there are times when the display device is not completely lled and it is very diflicult by quick inspection to ascertain whether or not a ring has been removed from the device by some unauthorized person.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a means for locking the rings which are displayed in the device in place with a means for manually releasing the locking means so that a ring may be removed for more close inspection when desired.

Another object of this invention is to provide a locking device for a ring display in which the control will be so located as not to be obvious to the one observing the rings in the display device although it may be convenient for operation by a sales attendant.

Another object of this invention is to provide a means for locking rings in place which will of relatively simple construction and thus one easy and inexpensive to construct.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. l is a perspective view looking the rear and one side of the ring display and showing the release buttons for the locking device for the rings in the display;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view partially broken away to illustrate the construction of the locking device;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmental sectional view on substantially line 3 3 of FIG. 2; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are sectional views on a larger scale taken on substantially line 4 4 of FIG. 2.

In proceeding with this invention I provide a deck with a plurality of slots in it so that a iinger ring may be passed edgewise into a slot and there be held for display purposes, usually such a deck is covered with velvet in order to provide better holding qualities andto enhance the appearance of the merchandise on display. Beneath this deck I provide a locking plate which may have openings in it so located as to receive within such openings the finger ring when positioned in the deck. The opening in the locking plate is of a sutiicient size so that when a part of the opening is in registry with the slot in the deck, the ring may be freely Withdrawn from the deck. However, in another portion of this opening there is a nger so that when the plate is moved relative to the deck, this finger will pass through the nger ring and as the plate is so mounted that it may slide but yet could not be moved upwardly the finger will engage the ring if attempted to be removed from the deck and prevent such removal. A spring is positioned so as to move the locking plate relative to the deck into locking position while a rod, which is manually engageable for movement, will slide the plate relative to the deck to a release position. Access to this rod is usually located so as to not be observed by the prospective purchaser while inspecting the rings in the display but passes through the back wall of the display where it is convenient forthe sales attendant in the retail store where such display may be located.

With reference to the drawings, 10 designates generally a cabinet type of device having opposite side walls 11, a front end wall 12, and a rear end wall 13. Supported by the side walls and vertical front and back wall there is a support 15 which is usually inclined to the horizontal lower edge 16 of the side walls. This support may be conveniently formed of wood.

A metal plate 18 rests upon the upper face of this support 15 and may slide thereon by reason of slideways formed by spacers 19 and overlapping strips 21 which extend over the opposite side edges of the plate, while laterally extending strips 2t) having spacing means 22 at the ends provide a slideway for longitdinal movement of the plate in the slideways formed between the .strips 20 and 21 and the support 15. Support 15 is further provided with a cutout or opening of elongated form 25, and in this opening there is a bar 26 extending less than the length of the opening, which bar is secured to the plate 18 and also secures the bracket 27 to the plate by means of fastenings 28. This bracket is equipped with an arm 29 to which a rod 30 is secured by means of threads 31 on the rod and nuts 32 and 33 on this rod on either side of the arm 29. This rod extends the necessary distance lengthwise of the display device so as to project as at 34 beyond the end wall 13 and is there equipped with a handle 35 so that it may be engaged for moving the plate 18 lengthwise of the rod and lengthwise of the device. A spring 36 anchored to the arm 29 at one end and to some projection 37 fixed to the support 15 moves the plate in one direction whereas the rod serves to push the plate against the tension of the spring in the other direction.

Mounted upon the parts 20 and 21 which serve to form guideways for the movement of the plate there is a deck 40 which is usually covered with some material such as plush or velvet, and this deck is provided with a plurality of slots such as 41 through the deck and the plush or velvet so that a linger ring 45 may be passed into the slot and there held. At the location of these slots 41 in the deck 40 there are also recesses 46 in the support 15 which register with the slots 41 so that when a ring is passed through the slots it will be accommodated in the recesses 46 in the support 15.

There are also located in the locking plate 18 openings 47 which are of a length in the direction of movement of the plate about twice the dimension of the slot 46 in this direction. A finger 48 extends inwardly in the direction of movement of the plate about half of the distance of the length of this opening in the direction of movement of the plate. The arrangement is such that when the plate is moved to the extreme position to the right as shown in the drawing, (FIG. 4) the linger 4S will pass through a ring located in the slot 41 and in the recess 46, thus the ring Will be prevented from being lifted out of the slot 41 by reason of this finger. The spring moves the plate into this locking position. However, if it is desired to release a linger ring then it is merely necessary to press upon the handle 35 pushing the rod 30 inwardly against the action of the spring so as to move the clear part of the opening 47 into registry with the slot in which the ring is located as shown in FIG. 5 in which position the ring may be freely lifted from the slot 41 for closer examination.

Three sections of substantially identical formation are shown in the display device 10 with a separate rod for each of the sections but inasmuch as these are substantially duplicates of the section previously described, the rods will merely be designated as 35 and 35 to indicate the three controls for the three different sections.

Storage may be had along the lower shelf 59 or along an upper shelf 51 spaced from the shelf 50 and substantially parallel thereto for a portion of the length of the device 10.

I claim:

In a display device, a deck having a plurality of separate areas aligned in the same plane, each having an opening therethrough for the reception of a iinger ring, a separate plate for each area below said deck, movably mounted in the same plane, which plane` is generally parallel to said deck and each plate having an opening to register in one position with an opening in the deck, said plates being located suiiciently close to each area of said deck so that a ring positioned in said deck opening also extends into each said plate opening, a finger projecting from one edge of each plate opening in the direction of movement of each plate, a portion of the distance across each said plate opening, so that when each plate is in another position, said finger will pass through a ring located in said opening and prevent removal of the ring from said deck, a spring urging each plate in one direction into locking position and separate manual means to selectively move each plate in an opposite direction against the action of said spring to withdraw said linger from a ring positioned in its plate opening.

References Citedby the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 672,561 4/01 Loeb 206-76 732,089 6/03 Lenzen 206-76 734,091 7/03 Porteck 206-76 862,729 8/07 Goldsmith 206-76 914,563 3/09 Fowler 206-76 2,321,339 6/43 Wadsworth 206-76 2,935,202 5/ 60 Doerwald 211--4 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. 

